Adjustable door supporting clamp and stool



1961 s. COVIELLO 2,967,553

ADJUSTABLE DOOR SUPPORTING CLAMP AND STOOL Filed Feb. 24, 1959 1 22 5 ,4- ,i g sl @5135.

ADJUSTABLE DOOR SUPPORTING CLAMP AND STOOL Salvator Coviello, '36 'Gorham Place, Trumbull, Conn.

Filed Feb. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 795,128

2 Claims. (Cl. 144-296) This invention relates to an adjustable supporting clamp and stool, particularly for use by carpenters on the job for holding doors, sashes or similar devices while trimming the edges in fitting them, and also for doors while mortising the edges and mounting the hinges thereon preparatory to mounting-the doors. In planing and trimming the edges of door sashes and the like on the job for properly fitting them preparatory to mounting, it is necessary to support them in an upright position on one edge, which may be termed the lower edge, while working on the opposite or upper edge. Various devices have been employed for doing this, some of which have been put together on the job, and because of difficulty in transporting or space required have been dismantled after the job was completed, and a similar device put together for the next job. This of course requires considerable time, which is expensive, and such devices are apt not to be most efficient.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved device or holder for door sashes and similar devices while working on them for trimming and fitting preparatory to mounting, and especially for supporting doors in an upright position while mortising or providing recesses for the hinges and also properly mounting the hinges thereon.

Another object is to provide such a holder of an improved construction whereby it may be readilyfolded to occupy a small space for shipping or carrying from job to job, and one which when on the job may be readily expanded or set up to the door or sash holding position, and may be readily adjusted to properly sup-port doors or similar structures in the most etfective position for work ing on them.

Another object is to provide a structure which, after use for working on the door, such as trimming and fitting, may be easily and quickly converted into a stool on which the operator may stand in mounting the door or other device, or for any similar operation.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification. It is, however, to be understood the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction and arrangement shown, but may embody various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention.

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the device expanded to the holding position for a door or similar device and showing a door in position therein;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a detail section substantially on line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail section substantially on line 44 of Fig. 2, but on a larger scale;

Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation showing the door support in its retracted position and a leg extended for use as a stool;

ited States Patent Fig. 6 is a top plan view of one of the supporting legs in the extended position of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the device adapted as a stool.

The device comprises a base 10 of plywood or suitable material having rubber pads 11 on its under side adjacent the corners thereof for protection of finished floors in use. On the top it is protected by a sheet metal plate 12 secured to this top by any suitable means, on which the door 13 or other similar device may be supported on one edge 14 in an upright position while the operator is trimming or otherwise working on its upper or opposite edge, such for example as planing it or mortising or recessing in the preparation for applying the hinges, and then applying the hinges, 'and so forth, with this plate. 12 protecting the top surface of the base 10 against marring by the edge of the door, or the door digging into it when placed in position.

The door is held in the upright position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 by adjustable clamps 15, one for each of the opposite sides of the door, mounted on a hinged plywood arm or plate 16 hinged at its lower edge to the base 10 by any suitable pivoting means such, for example, as hinges 17, so that this arm with the clamps 15 may be folded down on top of the base 10 when not in use, as shown in Fig. 5, to facilitate storage and carrying from job to job, or to working position on the job. This arm 16 is held in the inclined position, as indicated in Fig. 1, by means of'a slotted hinge bracket 18. This may be a hat strip of metal provided with a longitudinal slot 19 and pivoted to the base at 20 adjacent one side edge of the arm 16, and extending through this slot is a bolt having a wing nut '21, this bolt being fastened to the edge of the arm 16 by any suitable means, such, for example, as a bracket 22. This bolt may slide in the slot 19 to hold the arm 16 and clamps 15 in diiferent upright angular positions depending on the height of the door or other article being worked on. By looseningthis nut the arm 16 and clamps 15 may be folded down onto the top of the base, in which position a headed pin or screw 23 extending outwardly from one side edge of the arm may snap into a lateral recess 24 in the outer end of the slot 19 to lock the arm 16 in the retracted or folded position.

The blocks 15 are mounted onthe arm 16 adjacent the upper or free edge thereof by means which will permit pivotal as well as lateral adjustment, with the free ends of these blocks projecting beyond the edge of the member 16 to provide holders on opposite sides of the door to retain it in its upright position. This in the arrangement shown comprises a threaded bolt 25 secured to each block and passing through a transverse slot 26 in the member 16 and provided with a wing nut 27 for clamping the blocks in different angular or lateral positions.

The inner edges of the blocks may berounded at their 1 free or outer ends, as indicated at 28, to facilitate insertion of the edge of the door between the blocks. The

lower edge of the door is held between adjustable blocks 29 mounted on the top of the base 10 forwardly of the pivoted arm 16. .There are two of these blocks, one on each side of the lower edge of the door, and they are mounted for lateral adjustment by any suitable means, such, for example, as bolts 30 secured to the blocks and passing through laterally extending elongated slots 31 in the base, permitting the blocks to be adjusted for different the door is inserted in between the blocks 29 and 15. This block 32 is positioned somewhat forwardly of the upper edge of the arm 16 when the arm is in the limit of its upright movement to prevent this edge 33 of the door being forced against the free edge of the arm 16, to either mar this arm or injure the door or force the arm out of position. Rubber bumpers 10a may be mounted on the end edge of the base to prevent marring of a wall or baseboard.

Mounted on the top of the base 10 at the opposite sides of the plate 12 and the arm 16 are four pivoted legs 34. These legs are each hinged to the top of the base adjacent the opposite side edges thereof and are secured to the base by suitable hinges 35 whereby they may be swung into holding position on the top of the base, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or swung to an upright position as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. On the opposite side from the hinge 35 is secured an L-shaped bracket 36 one leg of which may be secured to the leg by the same bolts 37 as used for securing the leg to the hinge, and the other leg 38 is provided with a notch or slot 39 passing through the free edge thereof to receive a fastening bolt 40 hinged to the base at 41 in a recess 40a in the base and swingable to and from the slot to release the leg for folding down onto the top of the base 1 or lock it in the upright position of Figs. and 6 by means of a wing nut 42. The free ends of the legs may be provided with rubber pads 43 as protection to the floor on which it is used. The legs may each be provided with means for holding them in the folded position of Figs. 1 and 2. Thus they may each be provided with spring grips 44 secured in a suitable housing 45 one on the side of each leg adapted to slide over the head of a folded tongue 46 secured on the top of the base by any suitable means, such as screws 47. These devices are so arranged that by swinging of a leg 2 to its folded position on top of the base 1 the spring fingers 44 will automatically pass over the tongue 46 and releasably hold this leg in the folded position. It will, however, release the leg, which may be swung to its upper extended position by the operator pulling upwardly on the free end of the leg, after which it may be securely locked in this position by the wing nut 42.

Thus this device, including the arm 16 and blocks for holding the door or similar article being workedon, and the legs 34, may be folded against the top of the base for carrying or storing purposes where they will occupy a minimum of space, to facilitate such carrying and storing operations, and they will all be held in this folded position by the screws 23 and the clamps 44. They may be readily and quickly shifted from this position to the extended position where the arm 16 and the blocks 15 may be readily adjusted and clamped in adjusted positions for holding the door or other article being worked on for most effective operations. The inclined arrangement of the arm 16 will space the door or similar article away from a wall should the base, for example, be positioned against a wall of the room, so that there is a space which will permit a plane running off the top edge of the door. It is advisable when the door is held in this upright position to place a supporting block 48 under it adjacent its opposite end to prevent its tipping downwardly at that end and hold it in the horizontal position. After the door has been properly trimmed and the hinges applied it may be removed from the device, the arm 16 and blocks 15 folded down onto the top of the base and the legs 34 swung to their upright or extended position and rigidly locked in this position by the bolts 40 and wing nuts 42, in which case the base may now be inverted and the device used as a stool, as shown in Fig. 7, on which the operator may stand in hanging the door or performing other opera tions. Thus this device may be used to assist in performing all of the required operations.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, I claim:

1. A work support comprising a base adapted to support a work member on one edge in an upright position, an arm hinged at one edge to the base adjacent one end thereof and swingable to various angular positions above the base, means for locking said arm in different angular positions, a pair of blocks mounted on the arm adjacent the free edge thereof and projecting beyond this edge to receive the upright edge of a work member between them, means securing the blocks to the arm each individually pivoted on an axis extending in a plane generally parallel to the longitudinal extent of the base to vary the angular position of the blocks, said pivoted blocks also mounted for lateral adjustment toward each other to vary the distance between them, and a pair of blocks mounted on the base by clamping means permitting lateral adjustment of the blocks for work members of different thicknesses.

2. A work support comprising a base adapted to support a work member such as a door on one edge in an upright position, an arm hinged at one edge to the base adjacent one end thereof and swingable to various angular positions above the base, means for locking said arm in different angular positions and in a folded position on top of the base comprising a fiat strip of metal hinged to the base provided with a longitudinal slot including an offset at the free end of the strip, a bolt with a wing nut on the arm extending through the slot to lock the arm in different angular positions and a screw projecting from the edge of the arm adapted to seat in said offset to lock the arm in folded position, a pair of blocks mounted on and projecting from the free end of the arm to retain the upright door between them, said blocks each individually pivoted on an axis extending in a plane generally parallel to the longitudinal extent of the base to vary the angular position of the blocks and also laterally adjustable toward each other to vary the distance between them, and laterally spaced blocks on the top of the base to retain the lower edge of the door between them.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 500,036 Reeves June 20, I893 848,837 Marz et al. Apr. 2, 1907 959,264 Rose May 24, 1910 999,017 Dukes July 25, 1911 1,130,975 Hopper et a1. Mar. 9, 1915 1,244,419 Burns Oct. 23, 1917 1,422,272 Jaskowiak July 11, 1922 2,786,500 Unterfranz Mar. 26, 1957 l a l 

